WHEELING, WV—A former supervisor with the state Division of Highways admitted today that he lied to a Federal agent.

United States Attorney William J. Ihlenfeld, II, announced that EDWARD MATTHEW TUTTLE, 38 years old, of Buckhannon, West Virginia, entered a guilty plea this morning to the felony offense of “Making a False Statement to a Federal Agent.” TUTTLE admitted that he lied to an F.B.I. agent who questioned him as part of an ongoing Federal investigation into the Equipment Division of the West Virginia Division of Highways. TUTTLE formerly served as the Highway Administrator for the WVDOH in Upshur County, and as a supervisor with the Equipment Division. U.S. Magistrate Judge James E. Seibert accepted the plea today in Wheeling.

Testimony offered at the plea hearing revealed that complaints made by citizens to a public corruption hotline were very beneficial to investigators and led them to obtain a Federal search warrant for the WVDOH’s Equipment Division.

TUTTLE now faces up to five years in prison and a fine of up to $250,000. Under the Federal Sentencing Guidelines the actual sentence imposed will be based upon the seriousness of the offense and the Defendant’s prior criminal history, if any.

This case is being prosecuted by U.S. Attorney Ihlenfeld and Assistant United States Attorney John C. Parr and was investigated by the U.S. Attorney’s Public Corruption Unit. Agents and officers from the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the West Virginia State Police, and the State Commission on Special Investigations are leading the inquiry.

Citizens who wish to report public corruption in their community are encouraged to call the West Virginia Public Corruption Hotline at 855-WVA-FEDS or to send an e-mail to wvafeds@usdoj.gov.